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KNYSNA NEWS - The Leisure and Living Club on Thesen Islands organised a fashion show fundraiser with a special focus on a local four-year-old boy, Robbie Curtis, who suffers from leukaemia. Boutique owner Diana Loon's courageous clients and friends showed off her spring/summer collection and Knysna businesses sponsored prizes for the event.
The Leisure and Living Club organises an event or outing monthly for Thesen ladies and their friends. As October was cancer awareness month and the club wanted to do something special, they came upon the idea to stage a fundraiser fashion show.
They contacted Charmaine Kruger from Ace Models, who in turn told them about Robbie Curtis and his battle with leukaemia.
"What has gripped our attention is a little four-year-old boy, who was a normal healthy little boy up until this year March," said club chair Corlia Goris.
"Sarah and Donald, his parents, were at Tapas with friends for drinks and the little ones were playing in the playground. On coming home, Robbie complained of a sore knee, nothing serious. A week later the knee was not better and severely swollen, so his parents took him to their GP. After blood tests, Robbie's results were discussed with two paediatricians who came out with the shattering news; Robbie has leukaemia," Goris related.
This instantly changed the lives of the Curtis family, said Goris, and they took off to Cape Town where Robbie was admitted to hospital with the diagnosis – Type B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
"Since then their lives have been a roller coaster with a treatment no person, let alone a little boy of four, should endure. Constant high doses of steroids, chemo, lumbar punches, injections etc. You can just imagine how helpless the parents must feel," Goris said.
The fashion show, said Goris, was a show of love and empathy for the Curtis family.
"We had a wonderful, positive morning with lots of fun – thanks to Diana Loon who arranged the whole fashion show for us and her amazing clients and friends, who all had the courage to show off her wonderful spring/summer collection," said Goris, adding that many Knysna businesses sponsored "wonderful prizes, which made the morning all the more exciting".
"We had a professional photographer, professional makeup artist and Charmaine brought the finishing touches. There were about 100 ladies present and it was a special privilege to focus on a worthy cause," Goris said in conclusion.
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